Although her current role was to play the villain, in this situation, she could only continue playing the villain.
But according to the plot, she should be the good person here. This mother had begged her so pitifully, and with her teammates watching, it really wasn't right to continue acting 'evil'. However, if she relented, what if all the remaining people rushed over to beg her?
She couldn't directly attack them, as that would expose her. So, she could only use the Hydra to threaten them, or perhaps? Use this mother and daughter to whitewash herself?
Aha! She had an idea.
Ellie, having thought of a mischievous plan, wore a full villain's smile and glanced at the mother who was begging her, then spoke.
"Oh, really? Anything is fine? You should remember what I just said. Those left behind are already reserved as snacks for my pets. What more could you possibly do? Hmph! But, seeing as you had the courage to come and beg me, I'll give you a chance! First, call your daughter over." Ellie said.
The mother quickly nodded, then turned to call her daughter over. At this moment, Ellie also noticed the people who had been left behind; many of them watched the Little Girl walk out of the crowd with hopeful eyes.
"You're quite pretty… Little Girl, what's your name?" Ellie, seeing the genuinely cute Little Girl approach with a terrified expression, continued to feign a villainous demeanor and asked.
"I... I don't have a name." The Little Girl looked nervously at her mother, who eagerly urged her to reply quickly. After that, the Little Girl said this with great fear.
Hearing this, Ellie's brows furrowed slightly... These people were truly miserable; they weren't even allowed to have names. It seemed these Dragonkin were indeed detestable.
"No name, huh? Well! It doesn't matter. Listen carefully, Little Girl without a name, your mother is now begging me, begging me to let you go. And the price? Is to become a snack for my pet Hydra." Ellie said, a cruel smile spreading across her face.
"Little Girl without a name, your mother is willing to die for your safety. Of course, I'm not some Great Demon, so I intend to give you a chance to save your mother. So, are you willing to save your mother?" Ellie said to the Little Girl.
Then, the mother, who was still clinging to Ellie's leg, tried to say something, but Ellie glared at her and whispered, "Do you believe I'll let your daughter die right now?" The mother immediately fell silent.
The Little Girl didn't reply, but looked at her mother nervously, then nodded vigorously.
"Very good. Actually… my pet Hydra prefers to eat children. So, if you willingly become a Hydra snack, not only will I spare your mother, but I can also consider sparing everyone else present. Of course, you can refuse, but as an alternative, only your mother and the uncles and aunties below will have to suffer! Now! Make your choice!" Ellie asked, laughing with a thoroughly villainous expression.
As soon as these words were spoken, not only did the mother collapse, but even the people below erupted in shouts. All sorts of curses were heard, such as "How can we let a Little Girl decide our fate?" and "How despicable!"
But none of that mattered; it was all a normal reaction. Some even tried to rush forward, but Sir Xia Na's Undead soldiers immediately suppressed them. Although there were many people, it was utterly useless.
Seeing the Little Girl looking lost, Ellie shook off the mother and walked directly in front of the Little Girl, whispering to her:
"If only you sacrifice yourself, everyone will be saved!"
"Can Mama be saved too?" The Little Girl looked up at Ellie, with traces of unshed tears in the corners of her eyes. Perhaps she had cried when her mother abandoned her and rushed forward?
"Of course…" As soon as Ellie heard the Little Girl's reply, she basically felt confident. The villainous aura she had projected earlier instantly vanished, replaced by an incredibly gentle expression.
"Then… I'm willing." The Little Girl indeed said she was willing. That was all that was needed.
Ellie happily patted the Little Girl's shoulder, then smiled at the people below and the mother, saying.
"She said she's willing. Very good… very good, hehe! You've passed the test." Ellie laughed heartily, which left the people below and the Little Girl, who had already steeled herself, utterly bewildered as they looked at Ellie, the Great Demon.
"Alright! No more teasing. Sir Xia Na, when will your MP be fully recovered?" Ellie turned and asked.
"Natural recovery will take about three to four hours…" Sir Xia Na replied.
Three to four hours, huh? Normally, no one would come here in three to four hours.
After all, it was still early morning, just before dawn. They had been staking out this place for several days and hadn't found any outside dragons coming at this time, so waiting was basically fine.
Of course, there was a faster method: Ellie could open a Teleportation Gate herself. However, she had never been to the place they were looking for. So Ellie was now considering having Livia-san use High-Tier Teleportation Magic to teleport her to that location, and then she would open a Teleportation Gate to bring them over.
Sir Xia Na and the others didn't know that she had already learned Teleportation Gate, as she had only just learned it!
"But I have a way to quickly restore MP." Just as Ellie was considering her options, Sir Xia Na said quietly.
"Oh? Why didn't you say so earlier? Then hurry up and recover." Hearing this, Ellie immediately deflated. If there was a way, she should have said so earlier; she wouldn't have had to put on such a performance.
"But it requires a condition. I have a skill called Life Drain, which converts HP into MP." Sir Xia Na continued.
"Then drain it! Didn't you summon so many soldiers?" This reminded Ellie of Shalltear's Pipette Lance, which summoned her thralls to provide blood. Couldn't Sir Xia Na also drain the Undead soldiers she summoned?
"I said… this skill is called Life Drain, and it can only be used on living targets." Sir Xia Na said with considerable helplessness.
"What about this guy?" Ellie pointed to the Hydra behind her.
"That won't work either. According to the game's settings, summoned creatures are not considered living things. I already tested it just now; I couldn't use Life Drain on the Hydra." Sir Xia Na shook her head and said, "So you already tested it, huh?"
"What about them?" Ellie regretted saying this as soon as the words left her mouth. Weren't the native commoners all level one? They might even be more fragile than level one. If Sir Xia Na drained them, wouldn't they just shrivel up and die instantly?
"Do you want them to die?" Sir Xia Na's tone was somewhat displeased.
"Sorry, sorry! In that case… then you can drain from me, right?" The best target Ellie could think of was herself.
According to Sir Xia Na, her HP was already at the level of a max-level player. Generally, such magic wouldn't instantly kill a max-level player, would it?
Livia-san could also be a target, but she was probably the best option, and she could also use recovery magic on herself, couldn't she?
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